#and the one that killed their crewmate and put crewmate's face onto his so that klingon belanna would like him more GET THE FUCK OUT

[trekfacility]

me at 11pm watching another creepy ass voyager episode about vidiians

[lutorao]

trust and hope

it's really odd what I'm going to tell you now but let's start

It's very clear how luffy trusts Zoro right?! because we have like thousand of moment of it but if I tell you that law is one of them who trust luffy most will you believe me ?!

let's start from whisky peak , do you remember the moment when some guy told luffy that Zoro was the reason why they were in this condition ? and what luffy did ? he fought with him

but in punk hazard when chopper told him that Law was murderer , he just ignored "Traffy " ?! nuh , but it wasn't some guy it was Chopper, his crewmate and what Luffy did ? nothing

don't get me wrong , maybe It can be assumed that the reason for Luffy's hesitation at Whiskey Peak was that, first of all, he had not known Zoro for a long time, in addition, you can say that the reason was also that these people shared food and Zoro thanked them in this way. It was the first and last time he suspected Zoro, you can't say that Luffy didn't know what Zoro was up to because of him. Let's go back a bit.

The case of Buggy, a seriously wounded man who is close to losing his mind doesn't hesitate for a second to hang onto Luffy's back with a cage, that should have been enough for Luffy, right? In addition, Luffy has animal instincts when it comes to people, but for some reason he blamed Zoro for his actions.

Let's continue with Law

Let's look at the situation from Law's side

A traumatized childhood, dead and murdered parents, a burned city, and the only person who trusted after this trauma was killed by Doflamingo, who was Corazon's brother.

so words "trust " and " hope " is not for law

And the only thing that motivated him during this time was revenge

revenge for the person he lost, Revenge for everything that happened

he spent 13 years preparing for his revenge and yes he was willing to do anything for this revenge, he ripped out the hearts of 100 pirates, became warlord, spent months on Punk Hazard, developed a plan, left the only people he trusted on Zou for their own safety, and yes he was really ready even to die

I hope you realize how important all this was to him right ?!

but what happened when it comes to luffy ?

Yes hope and Trust

And Doflamingo knew it clearly, maybe Luffy didn't realize how much it meant to law , but Doflamingo knew, it's not common for someone like Law to put that kind of trust in someone.

what about luffy ?

"Torao is a good guy " he was so happy wasn't he ?! just look at his face

Nami : noo luffy , we cant trust him

meanwhile luffy just ignored his crewmates words and "I'm in "

then Robin

luffy : " stop talking shits, he is a good guy " he just ignored everyone from his crew and when law switched their body luffy just laughed , he wasn't even mad , he just laughed. wtf luffy

let's make things clear straw hat

even it means go to hell together (please just look at him )

and yes now he was law's "bodyguard "

" just tell me which one Torao"

I won't talk about how he took care of Law all the way to Dressrosa, only Law? No, he didn't forget his sword either, just like law didn't forget Luffy's straw hat before

The funny thing is that even during the fight with Bellamy, Luffy's attention was on top, he didn't pay attention to his opponent, his whole concentration was on "how was Traffy?! "

Don't even dare, it all obvious in his face

And yes, he hasn't forgotten law's sword here either, his first order was "look after Law", he didn't ask anyone anything, just look after Law, protect him at any cost

if you ask me how their love language looks like I will say

"luffy : I'm glad you are okay , wanna eat? "

sharing his food

yes he shared his food with law

"law : let me die along with him I m begging you , please "

and at the end , I would like to mention the moment that makes these two people special to me along with everything else, first of all, the fact that Law was by Luffy's side when he needed it the most, when Luffy lost his brother the only member of his family( lets dont talk about Garp ) who had left, and lost his crew , his friends, was alone without his crew , and his life was in Law's hands. and yes, Law has seen Luffy at his worst, PTSD, despair, depression, and all together.

As for Law, this person who had no hope for anything in life and had no one but a crew, was left alone and everything he had been building and organizing for 13 years, all work, all hope, he left to Luffy. At this moment he was without his crew , and yes Luffy had seen him at his worst.

If that's not a sign of trust, hope and love, then I don't know what is

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Could you do a platonic crew with a reader who has a devilfruit that gives them similar abilities to deadpool (aka any injury regenerates)- but unlike deadpool they can die if they gain enough damage, but the reader doesn’t realise/accept this and constantly risks their life for the crew cause they think they’ll be okay?

Yandere Straw Hats x GN!Reader

1.2k words

Warning for descriptions of serious injuries

“Dammit, let me out!”

You yank on the infirmary door again despite knowing what a waste of time it was. With an aggravated huff, you turn around and shamble back to the bed. Your body was in agony from the wounds you took on today. Even though your devil fruit was working hard to fix it, this would take time to fully heal and stop hurting. It’s probably best to lay down for a bit, you just wish you could do so in your own bed.

They’re all over reacting, and they know it. You’re borderline immortal, and sure, you cut it a little close this time, but you were fine now! The battle was over, it’s not like you’re in any danger. 

You’re aware that your devil fruit can be unsettling at times, it’s unnatural to see someone recover from what would be a mortal wound for anyone else. Even Chopper couldn’t help but look disturbed when they found you after you threw yourself over a bomb. The explosion mostly damaged your legs, even taking one off entirely. 

The worst part though was the piece of shrapnel that shot up and cut open your abdomen. If it weren’t for you manually holding the wound shut, your organs would’ve all spilled out onto the ground.

Chopper had given you some painkillers to hold you over until you finished healing, but they can only do so much against something this severe. You roll onto your side to grab the water from the bedside table, but an intense pain shoots through you, making you drop it on the ground.

The glass shatters on impact, and you drop your head back onto your pillow with a groan. As you attempt to slip out of the bed again to pick up the broken glass, the door is thrown open and Chopper rushes in, “I heard something break! What hap- Get back in the bed!”

He ran over to you and shooed you back into lying down, “You’re too hurt to be moving around like this!” 

“I’m already mostly healed, it’s not like I’m going to die,” you grumbled, annoyed that you even have to state this. Everyone on board is well aware of how your powers work.

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!” Chopper stopped picking up glass and snapped his head towards you. Tears were pouring down his face, but he forced himself to speak through them, “Y-You won’t know what is going to be enough to kill you until it’s too late!”

Now you just felt bad. You care about your crew, and making them cry is not something you ever want to do. Even if you have done so multiple times. Awkwardly, you reach out to put your hand on his shoulder, “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Chopper aggressively rubs at his eyes and sniffles loudly, “You n-need to stop d-doing this! I hate it, everyone hates it! We’re all-”

“Chopper.”

Both of you snap your attention to the door, where Luffy is standing. His hat is obscuring his eyes, but you can feel them on you regardless. What’s worse, he’s openly frowning. That’s never a good sign, especially not after you’ve landed yourself back in the infirmary.

The ship’s doctor walked out without another word, closing the door behind him. Now it’s just you and Luffy. He’s eerily silent as he approaches your bed and takes a seat at the foot of it. You can already guess where this is going. He’s going to tell you to stop acting like you’re the only one who can protect everyone else and to let others help. 

You’ve had this conversation with him many times. It’s not like you were intentionally trying to go against his words, you wanted to heed his orders and be a good crewmate, really! It’s just that whenever you are in the heat of the moment, you instinctively put yourself in harm’s way. You could take damage better than anyone, what else were you supposed to do?

“You’re done.”

Your blood ran cold in your veins, “Excuse me?”

“I said you’re done, we’re not letting you do this again,” Luffy stated plainly, like it was the most obvious conclusion to come to. 

You attempt to sit up, but the pain that shoots through you brings that to a halt. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you kicking me out?” You ground out.

“I never said that. You’re just done fighting, that’s it,” Luffy finally lifted his head enough for you to make eye contact with him, and you wish he hadn’t. The look in his eyes is so intense that your argument died on your tongue. “Is that understood?”

“Wha… What else am I-”

Luffy’s hand clamped over your mouth, you see anger flicker across his face as he grinds his teeth together, “Don’t argue with me! I’m sick of you never listening! I’m your captain, if I say you’re done, then you’re done!” His voice raises in volume with every word until he’s practically screaming at you.

Tears drip onto your face as he looms above you, hiccupping as his own sorrow overcomes him. “Why do you keep doing this? Why do you act like you’re going to survive no matter what? You almost died!” He abruptly lets go of your mouth and collapses on top of your body, clutching onto you like you’ll disappear if he doesn’t. His hat tumbles off his head and onto the bed beside you.

His weight feels uncomfortable on your recovering injuries, but you don’t say anything. Lightly, you bring a hand up to his head to gently run your fingers through his hair. This action only makes him hold you closer as his cries get louder.

You’re torn. As much as you want to be upset about his previous words to you, it’s impossible to act on those emotions when he’s sobbing on top of you. Your near death clearly bothered him more than you had realized. Were you really in the wrong for acting the way you did? If what you were doing was so great, why was it hurting all your friends so badly?

“I’m sorry,” you croak out as your own eyes start to tear up.

Luffy doesn’t answer. You’re not sure he even heard you over his crying. You can faintly hear hushed words being spoken outside the infirmary door, but there’s nothing you can do right now to hear it better. Your crewmates are no doubt discussing what to do with you now that Luffy was seemingly dead set on not letting you onto a battlefield again.

Hopefully, this was all said because he lost control of his emotions, and when he calms down he’ll change his mind. That had to be the case. I mean really, it’s not like you could just sit back and do nothing while everyone else risked life and limb. You’ll be more careful from now on, for real this time. You’ll take their feelings into consideration before acting so recklessly. It won’t happen again.

Although… it’s unclear if that’s because you’re going to change your ways, or if they are going to make you whether you want to or not.

[somanyratsinthewalls]

Hello, congrats on your 300 followers! Could I ask for chocolate and daisy and/or fern, whatever suits you! 😊

I looooooove a prompt that makes Zoro feel! This was so good!

Pairing: Zoro x Afab!reader

WC: 1400

Prompt: ”Yes, I have feelings for you. Anyway. Moving on from that.” 

— — 

“SHIT- *crash*” Your body slams into the ground after your knife strike failed to meet anything. You raise your body up on your arms in the dirt. “Ow…” 

“Another loss, little one.” 

You felt the smooth, cold metal of a blade meet the nape of your neck. You roll your eyes. 

“That really hurt, dickhead… thought you’d said you’d train me without killing me.” You crawl out from underneath Zoro’s blade, rubbing your ribs. 

“No one is going to stop kicking your ass just because you asked nicely, y/n.” Zoro retorted at you as you picked yourself up off the ground. 

“Whatever, Zoro.” You sheathed your twin knives back in their holsters and walked back towards the ship. 

“What? Done already for the day? Can’t handle it?” Zoro goads you as you walk back to the Sunny. 

You ignore him as you retreat to the showers. 

— — 

After your shower you spend your evening reclining on the deck in a lounge chair, trying to avoid the painful spasms in your upper back. Nami approached you coming from the galley with two plates of food. 

“Y/n look, Sanji made girl dinner!” Nami exclaimed as she placed your plate in your lap. 

“Hrmmph..” You groan as you look down at your plate of Caesar salad and French Fries. 

“This is literally your favorite meal… what’s with the attitude?” Nami furrowed her brows and looked down at you from the lounge chair by your side. 

“Zoro kicked my ass today. Everything hurts.” You slur out as you shove a forkful of dressing soaked iceberg into your mouth. Nami sighs as she puts a handful of fries into her face. 

“When are you going to realize that he’s only being so hard on you because he’s desperately in love with you?” 

You sputter out around your heavy bite of salad. 

“Obviously that’s not true. Zoro doesn’t feel things like that… he’s… weird…” 

“Are you that oblivious? Yeah he’s an idiot, y/n, but he’s still a man.” Nami shoveled a pile of Caesar salad into her maw. 

“You.. you think he’s into me?” You put your fork down and contemplate Nami’s thoughts. 

“Duh. Any moron can see that. Unfortunately most of our crew has gone beyond moron status.” Nami spits out with a full mouth. 

You silently finish your meal and bring your dishes to the kitchen. After putting away your plates you retreat to your bedroom and let your exhausted body relax into your mattress. You drift off to sleep, mind full of your sparring partner. 

— — 

“I’m going to hit you and you’re going to brace your body.” Zoro sternly advises you, training you to harness your true power, possibly unlocking your haki potential. 

“Fine.” You grip your twin knives and wait for the blow to fall. You focus your mind and try to harden yourself. You feel Zoro’s body rush past you and your senses pick him up from your right side. Instinctively, you raise your blades and block his sword. 

“You were supposed to let me hit you!” Zoro huffs out at you, pressing his katana against your own weapons. 

“Fuck… You!…” You hiss as you press him off you with your blades and he slides in the dirt 5 yards away. You knew you weren’t ready to take his full strength, so you defended yourself. 

“You can’t win like this! You need to listen!” Zoro comes back at you after sliding his third sword into his mouth. He was annoyed at your defiance during training today, he wasn’t holding back any longer. 

Zoro hits you with a three-sword-onigiri and you were blown backwards into a tree with superficial cuts across your chest.  

Your head thumps against the tree before lolling forward. You catch your breath and stand up. You wobble with the first few steps towards your crewmate and adversary. He was beating you with an unnecessary force lately, and you were tired of it. 

“Zoro…” You spit a thick glob of spit onto the ground next to you as you approach the swordsman. 

“Clearly you’ve had enough. And we just started.  Pathetic.” Zoro crosses his arms and looks at you as you stumble towards him. “You’ve lost your form entirely. You need to focus on-"

“Zoro… do you have feelings for me?” You lift your gaze to meet his. 

Zoro pauses for a long time. 

“Yes, I have feelings for you. Anyway. Moving on from that, you let your shoulders drop twice and your blade turn out when I-“

“THAT’S IT?” You shout at him. “You confess you want to be with me and you want to continue training? There’s no way you can be that aloof!” 

“What else did you want me to do, y/n? I told you the truth, and I continued our lesson.” Zoro tells you nonchalantly. 

“You want me? You want me, Zoro? Then show me, god damnit.” You push your tired body into his chest. 

Zoro grabs you by your twitching, tired biceps. He looks down at you.

“Fine.” 

Zoro smashes his lips onto yours. It wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t intimate, it was fast and needy. Zoro wraps his arms around your small frame and pushes his lips further into your face. 

“Take your fucking pants off…” Zoro huffs out into your mouth while raking his calloused hands through your hair. You oblige and strip your leggings and panties down off your feet quickly. Zoro picks you up by your waist and lays you down on the sand of the beach you two were training on. He leans back and undoes the sash around his waist along with the leather bindings on his trousers. His swords hit the ground along with the one from his mouth he discarded long ago. Zoro’s cock springs forward out of his pants and your mouth waters at the sight. You lift your sports bra up over your breasts so they would be exposed for your swordsman. 

“My bratty girl, I’ll show you how to obey someone…” 

Zoro grips his thick cock in his hand and strokes it up and down your wet sex. 

“Zoro…” You whimper as he dips the hot head of his cock in and out of your entrance.

“Yeah little one, I know you want it. But how can you really take it?” Zoro pushes himself flush inside of you and you moan out at the feeling. 

“I can! I promise I can!” You whimper out as you grab and claw at Zoro’s hips. You were so full and were ready to receive the full pleasure of your swordsman. Zoro began thrusting in and out of you at an inhuman pace. He gripped your chin in his hand and forced you to look up at him.

“That’s my girl. She can always take it, huh?” Zoro teases you as he lifts his free hand to rub softly at your sensitive clit.  “Oh you’re so tight now, baby. Gonna cum? It’s okay mama, you can cum on me, it’s okay.” 

You squeal and spasm on Zoro’s cock as he coaxes you through your orgasm. He was talking you through your intense pleasure. You babble incoherently as Zoro presses his body further into yours. 

“I have so much cum for you, sweetness… I know you can take all of it…” Zoro grips your hips and looks down at you into your eyes. You gasp as you feel the beginning twitches of his cock releasing into your walls. Zoro’s stored load was so big that it spilled out of your hole while he was stilled buried deep within it. 

“Mmmph… Zoro….” You stroke your swordsman’s back as he finished emptying his large load inside of you. 

“”Hmmmrhppphh…. (First initial)… sleep…. Hngggnnphh…” Zoro cuddled your body close to his on the beach and started to snore.

“Oh no way, I’m leaving your ass here!”  You hopped up and swept the sand off your sticky body. You start to walk towards the ship alone before you turn back around and see a conked out moss head on the path leading to the boardwalk. 

“Oh you shit head…” You groan before you return back to the beach and pick up Zoro’s exhausted body and lifting it over your shoulder and returning to The Sunny. You tuck Zoro into your bed and strip yourself of your sandy, salty clothing. You slink into bed naked and pull Zoro into your chest. 

“You’re so lucky I love you.” You whisper as you kiss the swordsman’s head and hold him into your breast. 

“Goodnight, moss head.” You chuckle to yourself. 

xx Mo

[amuseoffyre]

Having some thoughts about Ed's final and destructive reaction to everything in episode 10 and seeing how the seeds of that destruction have been scattered from episode 3, all the way through.

We know he's bored and struggling with it and that Izzy has basically been keeping the Queen Anne running in his stead when the crew are questioning things. Ed never deals with those confrontations because he has Izzy as his buffer. Izzy says it himself - even when Ed is at his most unstable and erratic, Izzy has kept the crew in check for him. "I need you here", Ed says, because he relies on Izzy to keep things operating.

Then we move onto the way he tries to fit into a different station and class and Stede is there to back him up, but the minute Stede leaves him unaccompanied, things go wrong. Stede being absent from the table is even highlighted as we see Ed's anxiety about the cutlery rising. And more importantly, Ed isn't present when Stede does demolish the aristocrats. He comes in to find the ship burning and Stede laughing and has no idea how he did it. Stede used the weapons of that world and wrecked them, which defininitely plants the seeds that Stede is more part of that world that Ed can never understand.

And when things begin to turn sour, it's at the hand of someone he trusts and considers a friend. Calico Jack takes his surprise at the betrayal as a joke, laughing in his face, and telling him "we're all just at various stages of fucking each other over".

This is the important thing - Ed explicitly put his trust and reliance on three people in the course of the show. He trusted in Izzy to watch his back, both pre-show-canon and after he returns from the Academy and is in a spiral of depression. He trusted Stede to be beside him because he said they were friends. He trusted Jack, because why wouldn't you trust the crewmate who saved your life?

Jack is the first one to knock that certainty sideways. Ed seems genuinely shocked and wounded by the fact he's been double-crossed and tricked by someone he considered a friend. At this point, he doesn't see this fully as Izzy's betrayal, because Izzy was targeting Stede and not Ed.

Immediately, he goes back to Stede, the person who said he was his friend. He even gets arrested - under threat of death - and signs his life away for this friend. Despite the old school chum of his friend saying "he's from my world, not yours", Stede is still there with him. And then, when he thinks he's got this all sorted out, when he's put his heart out on his sleeve, he gets to the dock and someone else has betrayed him and left him on his own again. He's from that world, he remembers. Not yours. We're just not those kind of people.

So he returns to the ship alone and asks for the person who he knows he can rely on, the person who has stood by him for years and who he can trust implicitly. And at first, Izzy does as he's always done: he keeps Ed's real condition from the crew. But there's a secondary motive for Izzy too: he always said he was honoured to work for the Legendary Blackbeard. He's there for the image that has kept them all alive this long and even when he sends Lucius in, he warns him he's not allowed to talk about what he sees "on pain of death".

But Lucius does what Lucius does and encourages Ed to come out, express himself and share his feelings and that is when Izzy's fraying nerves shred to bits. And he has no idea of exactly how catastrophic the repercussions will be when he takes that last shaky support Ed has depended on and kicks it out from under him.

"You said above all else is loyalty to my Captain" has become "I should have let the English kill you."

What he is, what he is allowing himself to be, is not enough. It wasn't enough to stop Jack. It wasn't enough to stop Stede. And now Izzy, the one person who had been there beside him for years, is pleased to see him show anger and violence, tells him "Edward better watch his fucking step".

Every person he has counted on and trusted and been vulnerable with has let him down in rapid succession. The only people left who have seen him that way are the crew and the "Come on Eddie, give us another song" was the death blow.

They're cheering him now. They're clapping and saying his name and telling him how cool and brilliant he is, but he's learned a lesson. He's learned it from the people who treated him like a rockstar and then turned on him and laughed in his face only hours later. He's learned it from the people he considered his friends and most trusted allies.

Any one of them might turn on him. Any one of them might turn him into a mockery and a joke and humiliate him. Any one of them might trick him the way Jack did. Any one of them might betray him the way Stede did. Any one of them might threaten him the way Izzy did.

And so, the Kraken rises. The part of himself that kills before it can be killed. That hurts others before it can be hurt. That will close itself from everyone and be so terrible and monstrous, no one will ever get close enough to hurt him again.

[justsome-di]

The Fairest of All Stars: Chapter 4

Andy didn’t mean to become a pirate captain, but after killing the captain of her ship, she finds herself thrust into the role. Years after the incident, she is fierce and feared and recovering from a tropical fever that wiped out half her crew.

Just as they’re about to dock, they find an injured siren left behind by her choir. Andy, drawn to her, pulls her onto the ship and decides to keep her there until she recovers. But with the Navy hunting for both pirates and sirens, Andy has just made her ship an even bigger target for an iniquitous captain looking for revenge.

Warning for suicidal thoughts and violence. Will contain mature scenes.

Also available for free on Patreon (paid members are five installments ahead and will get exclusive bonus stories) and on AO3. If you enjoy reading Stars please consider leaving a comment on AO3, Patreon, or reblogging these chapters! Follow for more updates!

Andy choked on the taste of her father’s tobacco, coughing herself awake as it seized her chest. She felt his fingers in her hair. He pulled it off her forehead and laid a cold cloth in its place. His hands, like always, were calloused and dry. They scraped against her skin—not painfully, just hard enough that she could remember the sensation after he moved his hand away.

When Andy opened her eyes, her father disappeared. It was Joseph next to her. Tending to her.

Her cabin was dim. It was still night. Few lights were lit. And she remembered how she put herself in such a sorry state. The cold water, the frigid rocks she had knelt on. Her hands burned from pulling fishing net off scales. Her body was chilled all the way through still.

Andy’s father told her stories of sirens. Her mother didn’t approve of them. She said that sirens were nothing but monsters made up by drunk, bored sailors and that the British Navy was only pretending to have them to boost their own prestige. It was just something to hold over the colonies’ heads. Something to scare them. Until she saw one with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe that they were real.

But Andy’s father would let her sit up with him, late at night. He would tell her the stories just as his crewmates told them, blowing smoke up to the ceiling from his pipe.

“He said his grandfather almost caught one. He said he swept one up on his boat by accident, but he let her go.”

“Aren’t you supposed to sell sirens?”

“You don’t have to. He could have gotten a pretty penny for her, but he got something better. He got to marvel at this thing, alone. He got to go home and be the only man in his village to have seen a siren. It was like he kept her for himself. And that was worth more than any money, Andrea.”

“Was she pretty?”

“Oh, she was as beautiful as his mother, his wife, and his daughter combined.”

Her father drew crude sketches for her. The top half of the creatures were always women, and the bottoms were always fish. Their scales were so beautiful, they reflected light like a rainbow, he said. And their faces were always the most well-sculpted any man had ever seen.

In his drawings, their hair flowed long behind them. Their arms were long. Their breasts bare. At the time, it had made Andy’s stomach flutter. She traced the sketches with her fingers as her father went on.

“But you shouldn’t get close to one. Not if you can help it.”

“Why not?”

“They can be temperamental things. For every man that gets to walk away, another three get pulled into the water.”

“What happens to them?”

“Well, we don’t know. They can’t come back up and tell us, can they? I was told the sirens eat them.”

“But then how do people sell them to the British? People have caught them, haven’t they?”

“They get lucky. Or they get cruel.”

If only her father could have watched her pull a siren out of the middle of the ocean. It would have been a grand story to tell him. She would have told it to him just like he told his stories, blowing out smoke from between her lips and holding out her hands to show just how big the siren was.

Her tail was this long. Her shoulders this wide. Her hands this flat.

Joseph laid his hand over Andy’s cheek. When she opened her eyes again, not realizing they had fluttered shut, she could barely see him sitting at her side.

Her bones felt like they had shattered inside her. If she moved even an inch, pain shot through every joint and limb.

Joseph fell into the shadows around them. He slipped in and out of her vision as yellow light swung back and forth.

There was a lantern—a spot of light—hanging from the ceiling that seemed to be a mile away. At the end of the long stretch of room was a fainting couch stolen from some fancy naval captain. It was old now. The cushions had lost volume. Besides that, it took up an obnoxious amount of space. But it was one of Andy’s favorite trophies, so she kept it. There was little else to do with it, anyway.

Andy’s eyes strained to focus on it. There was a lump on top of the couch.

She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, her eyes were covered in just a little less tears and grime. The edges of her vision were a little less blurred. The couch came into focus.

The siren was wrapped up in a ratty blanket. She was unconscious and gagged with a rag between her teeth, tied up behind her head.

Andy tried holding her hand toward her. Her arm fell out of her bed, and she groaned in pain. One finger uncurled in the direction of the siren as every nerve inside her seized and lit themselves on fire.

Joseph took her wrist and tucked her arm back by her side.

“Don’t move,” he whispered. “You’ve relapsed.”

Joseph owned a dirty, old Gladstone. The leather was discolored and cracked so badly that flakes of leather were starting to fall off every time he opened and shut it. He dug into it now to pull out jars of salve.

He scooped a generous amount into his hand and began rubbing it into Andy’s bare shoulders. Joseph worked it into her skin and then moved down to her elbows, then her wrists, then her hands. The smell choked Andy. It reminded her of being so ill only weeks ago, laid up in bed all greased up and unable to do so much as blink without being in excruciating pain. She had been covered in the salve for nights, and she had no memory of whether it helped or not.

He was loyal, Andy had to hand it to him. During her first bout of illness, he always seemed to be by her side. If she ever woke up to him gone, she didn’t have to wait long before he showed up.

Joseph bled her regularly—which she despised but could not complain much about—and took her temperature so often that Andy’s tongue felt sore from his thermometer. He would talk to her, tell her that he needed to find more medical supplies when they docked. There was only so much he could get his hands on anymore, but with some extra money, he hinted at Andy, he would be able to get some decent stock.

Andy had wheezed out a laugh. She told him that if she survived, he could have a larger share of their money. There wasn’t much, but he could buy whatever an extra coin could get him.

Joseph pulled Andy’s bed sheets from her. He began working on her ankles and moved up her legs until he reached her hips. His calloused hands massaged around her waist and swept briefly around her crotch. To be a gentleman, still, surely.

His hands were warm. The salve was warm, too, but it tangled up and hardened in her hair.

“Stay put,” Joseph told her, screwing the lid back on the salve. “If you move, you’ll only make yourself more ill.”

He covered her with her bed sheets. He had such a good bedside manner. It made Andy sick. What a shit pirate. She had only brought him on board so he could dig bullets out of them. Not to be tender. Andy almost hated it.

Joseph stood and moved to the siren’s side. Andy followed him with her eyes only. He had a funny way of walking, she thought, bemused. Old joints tightened up in the cold, and his gait was similar to that of a toddler.

The siren, surely, wasn’t dead. If she were, the crew wouldn’t have dumped her in Andy’s cabin. They would have dumped her overboard before she began to decay. The less trouble and cargo, the better.

Unless Tobi was cooking up some scheme for her corpse. The body could be given to the Navy. Just in case they ran into trouble. The Navy would accept sirens dead or alive, they were always so desperate for something. The awards were very handsome, and every year merchants and fishermen packed extra fishing nets and ropes and claimed themselves perfectly capable of snagging a siren.

But there were few confirmed cases of anyone actually selling one. There were maybe one or two caught every half-century. A handful of hoaxes cropped up here and there—fake corpses made of paper and clay, mutilated carp combined with hair from barbers.

In a better state of mind, Andy would be able to think of all of this and come to the conclusion that she had a rare treasure on her ship.

But her eyes were slipping shut, and her brain seemed to be boiling in her skull. What she really thought in that moment was that she wasn’t going to give that siren over to the Navy. No matter the price. No matter any pardon or immunity it could give her as a pirate in an emergency.

“Don’t give her up,” she tried saying, but her voice was rough and weak. She could barely hear herself, and her throat was tearing itself to shreds.

“What was that, captain?”

Pinkey knelt in front of her with her only briefly wondering how he materialized out of thin air. He leaned in close to her, his ear close to her lips.

“Don’t give her up,” Andy repeated.

“The siren?” Pinkey asked. “Don’t worry, sir, I’m guarding her with my own life. If anyone wants her, they’ll have to get through me. And it’s not all that easy to get through me—you know that.”

It was maybe the only time Andy appreciated hearing such a thing from her crew. Such cockiness. Pinkey wasn’t so bad. Whatever kinship he felt for the siren, Andy would exploit it.

Because she, too, wouldn’t let anyone get to that siren. That beautiful monster lying in the same room as her—Andy would fight to keep her by her side.

[whumperfultime]

June of Doom Day 5

@juneofdoom

Prompts: "It's not as bad as it looks." | Bite | Swelling | Disfiguration

Contains: Aftermath of animal attack, bite wound, medical treatment, minor descriptions of injuries/blood, and platonic caretaking.

Kalei finds her crewmates in the medbay trying to treat an injury without her knowing.

~

“Are you kidding me…we cannot possibly be out of disinfectant. We did a medicine run like, two weeks ago.”

“Look, just…pour some hot water on it or something. That’s better than nothing.”

Kalei paused at the end of the corridor and turned to listen more closely. There were more hushed voices and footsteps coming from the medbay, then the sound of the sink turning on.

And a hiss of pain.

She was in the doorway before her crewmates knew it, both of their backs turned as they stood side by side at the sink. The running water had muffled her footsteps. “What’s going on in here?”

Matago and Dace both jumped, whirling around to face her. Water splashed onto the floor, dripping from Dace’s left forearm, which sported a mess of red and bloody skin.

Kalei’s eyes widened. “What the fuck happened?” she demanded, bolting across the room to get a better look at the wound.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Dace told her.

“What happened?”

Dace sighed. “Mat and I went out to case the security like you said. Guard almost spotted us so we hid in the bushes. There, uh…there might have been an angry lizard living in that bush that didn’t take kindly to us.”

Kalei could see the bite marks now, made by small teeth from a narrow snout. Even if the creature was small, its fangs certainly pierced deep. The skin around the wound was swollen and uncomfortably warm to the touch. “We should be getting you to a hospital right now, you idiot,” she snapped. “That thing was probably venomous.”

Matago waved her off. “Nah, I remember learning about this region during wilderness survival training. That species is technically venomous, but it’s not enough to kill someone. More like a bee sting.”

“A very, very big bee sting,” Dace muttered through clenched teeth.

“It was a long walk back to the ship. If he were going to keel over, he would have done it by now.” Matago switched off the sink. “We were hoping to get it bandaged up before you got back onboard.”

Kalei let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe she was overreacting, but how could she not get angry at her own crewmates trying to hide injuries from her? “Just sit down and let me handle it.”

Neither of them protested. Dace sat down on the bed, cradling his forearm against his torso, while Matago stepped back to give them more room. “We’re out of disinfectant, by the way,” Matago mumbled.

Kalei glared at him, opening the cabinet above the sink and removing the bottle from inside. “Wrong. I put it in the same place I always do.”

“Look, we just narrowly escaped an angry jungle lizard, I’m not thinking straight.”

Idiots. Both of them. Kalei forced herself not to respond to Matago’s exaggeration and turned her attention back to Dace. “And why exactly were you two so eager to hide this from me?”

“Because you’ve already been busy planning the job. You didn’t need to worry about something like this.” Dace watched as she poured a small amount of disinfectant onto a cotton swab. “It’s not that big of a deal. Plus the heat and humidity always make you more stressed to begin with-fuck, that stings!”

“Not as much as an infection would.” Still, Kalei tried to rein her frustration in and stopped pressing down so hard. “It doesn’t matter how stressed I am. If one of my crewmates is hurt, I want to know about it. Any secret, no matter how dumb, can get you killed.”

“It’s not that serious.”

“Oh, really? What if we were moving in on the compound when you collapsed from fever? Or if Mat accidentally misidentified whatever species bit you and we missed our chance to take you to a hospital?”

“Okay, okay, point taken.” Dace watched her return the bottle to the cabinet and pull out a roll of gauze. “We just didn’t want to worry you.”

Kalei took a few deep breaths, carefully winding the gauze around Dace’s forearm. He wasn’t wrong – she was more stressed since they landed here. It wasn’t a region they hadn’t worked before, with overgrown jungle terrain in every direction. Not to mention the countless species in the area that were venomous or otherwise dangerous. All she wanted to do was get in, get the goods they were after, and get the fuck back home.

“I suppose I can appreciate the concern. I just don’t think sneaking around each other helps. Especially with the work we do.” She grabbed a few pieces of tape to keep the bandage secure. “I trust you, you trust me, we keep each other alive and well. Now, are there any other injuries I should know about?”

The corners of Dace’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Well, it did kind of hurt my feelings when you called me an idiot-”

“Get out.” He and Matago were unable to stop themselves from snickering. “Back to your cabins while I make dinner. And keep your mouths shut before I decide to lock you in there forever.”

She waited until they were both out of the medbay before she let herself laugh, too.

[actuallycassidyiambusy]

I loved your post with your BuggyxLuffy headcanons, and I was curious what your headcanons are for your versions of the two as individuals 👉👈

Love the way you draw them btw!

I'm glad you asked. *Cracks knuckles"

Luffy:

100% learns swear words as he goes. He'll hear them being used and sometimes use them in the wrong context.

His eyes are only dark when he's angry. Any other time they resemble honey.

His favorite place to be touched is his face. It makes him feel safe.

He has a Brazilian accent that gets thicker the angrier or more worked up he becomes.

He will switch into Portuguese randomly. Mainly when he's trying to piss Buggy or anyone else off.

INFO DUMPS LIKE A MF.

He's super shy about his hair. His beautiful curls have been made fun of in the past.

He gets offended when someone who isn't him insults Buggy. He takes it personally.

Describes alcohol as spicy juice.

Sunsets are one of his favorite things to look at.

He will bring random ass bugs onto the Big Top and hide them to scare Buggy. The bigger the better.

Luffy loves to prank the other crew members too. He makes it a personal mission to be an absolute menace while he's on Buggy's ship. He'll hide in cupboards, switch out sugar with salt, stretch his hands to pants a crewmate, etc.

Luffy can't play cards for shit, but he can spot a players tell from a mile away. He helps Buggy cheat🤫

He wants to learn how to cook.

The very last level of the Big Top is Luffy's favorite place to be alone. The supply room has four large windows that reveal all the sea life around him.

Luffy likes to crossdress. Once he becomes accustomed to physical desire, he likes to bring it out in Buggy by wearing pretty clothes. Other times, he does it for himself to boost his confidence when he feels low.

Luffy is an exhibitionist. He's always lived for thrills and that is a major one for him.

He can be very sensitive at times, and when he doesn't know how to cope with confusing feelings, he gets aggressive.

He secretly enjoys reading.

Buggy:

Isn't afraid to kill a crew member or bystander for the smallest inconvenience.

He works out and tends do do most of his workouts on deck.

Hates docking anywhere that doesn't have a bar.

His favorite whiskey is Litchfield Cinnamon Bourbon and he keeps a stash in his office.

Despite what people may think first glance, Buggy keeps himself clean. He's extremely vain and doesn't like to smell bad.

He enjoys the taste of blood.

If anyone besides Luffy pops off at him or puts their hands on him, they won't live.

He won't say it out loud, but Cabaji and Mohji are like brothers to Buggy.

Despite being extremely egotistical, he doesn't mind being degraded in moments of intimacy.

If he feels like he's losing control of himself, he'll hide away in his office so he doesn't unintentionally hurt someone.

He's not human.

Buggy loves to gamble. He will bring Luffy along with him because Luffy can read people better than Buggy can.

Buggy is a skilled painter.

His favorite place to be touched are his arms or his chest. He secretly likes to be felt up in those areas.

He lives for shock value and will scare the shit out of anyone anywhere.

He absolutely fucking hates bugs and will plot ways to get back at Luffy for bringing them into his ship.

The crossbones on his face is a tattoo.

He's secretly impressed if someone stands up to him, but he'll still knock them on their ass.

He takes on a lot of responsibility on his ship because he wants things done right.

If anyone puts their hands on Luffy, it's death on sight.

[the-bar-sinister]

Bleeding, Broken, Mended (91671 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 17/17

Summary: Law is certain that he was 'rescued' just so Doflamingo could kill him himself, but Doffy has other plans. As far as he's concerned, Law's decade-long quest for revenge was nothing more than a sad misunderstanding. He wants to remind Law how things used to be. He wants to find a way to bring Law back into the fold-- back to him-- forever.

Final Chapter Author's note: Moving on from this fic is a little sad for me, even though I'm glad that it's completed. It's one of the 'easiest' things I've ever written– it flowed very naturally without ever getting really stuck, and it gave me a warm feeling to write, every time. 

I know it's an unusual tone for Doflamingo x Law fic, but I really hope you enjoyed it even half as much as I did. It was important to me just to be able to wallow in them romantically for a while. Thanks for coming on the journey with me.

We'll see more of Law and Doffy— and Law's next encounter with Luffy– when we hit Deicide: Red Shift.

catch up here

-

They had missed dinner— of course they had missed dinner— but there were plates put aside for them in the galley, and Baby 5 and Komurasaki were still there finishing the after dinner cleaning when they got there.

Law and Doflamingo had missed dinner together. There was little hope that the family didn't very much guess what that meant.

"They were clearly fuckin'." Baby 5 said as she washed the last of the big pots "I mean, that's obvious, right? At this point I know it wasn't killin' one another behind everyone's backs. Not with your cap finally bein' Corazon, an' all." 

Doffy paused as they came in the doorway with the biggest shit eating grin on his face and put his hand over Law's mouth, listening in.

"No, killing one another seems very unlikely at this point," Komurasaki agreed. "The story the captain told did seem like a tragic romance that would end such a way— but 'the young master' seems to have managed a last minute reversal of fortune."

Law was sputtering, muffled entirely by Doflamingo's massive hand. Of course they were gossiping. Baby 5 was a damned incorrigible gossip and Komurasaki was an absolute fiend for drama and interesting trouble.

He should have expected this. He should have known. But it still it was embarrassing to fucking walk in in.

"He's good at that, ya know," Baby 5 was saying, he saw her bump Komurasaki's shoulder with her own. "Nothing in the world is impossible for Doflamingo or his family. Even convincing a moron like Corazon that they don't gotta kill one another in a torrid fuckin' romance." 

"I do agree with the sentiment, but I'd appreciate if you wouldn't call him a moron," Komurasaki chuckled, bumping her back.

"Evening, ladies," Doffy purred, finally releasing his hold on Law's face.

"Aww, but I've been calling him a moron for a—-" Baby 5 suddenly froze, dropping the pot and squeaking out in utter surprise. "Young masterrrr???"

Law snorted. "And the moron. Evening to you too, Baby 5. Hey 'Saki. Sounds like you two were having a good conversation." 

"Baby 5 is quite the talented conversational partner," Komurasaki agreed, turning around to smile in his direction. She bent down and scooped up the pot that Baby 5 had dropped, checking it over for dents. "I hope you were having a pleasant evening as well."

Doffy was half doubled over, giggling.

"Corazon!!??" Baby 5 had finally turned to see the both of them, wringing her hands together with a smile that threatened to drop her cigarette onto her askew apron. "Hahahh…w-well, you know. I wanna impres— I mean, entertain our new crewmate is all!"

Law raised his eyebrow with a snort, before he gave them both a lazy grin. "You mean she's a notorious gossip , Saki. But that's a talent in its own way. Good to see you're getting along, even if it's to gossip about my love life." 

"I'm afraid it was a common topic of discussion at dinner, captain," Komurasaki nodded.

Doffy caught his breath and leaned on the table. "Of course it was. Did anything else get talked about, or just that?"

He pulled out a chair for Law with his strings as he sat down in the one beside it.

Law took a seat with a grumble, flushing brilliantly. "Fucking gossipy ass Donquixote family." 

Still, that casual, informal air…

He'd missed it. Sure, the Heart Pirates had it, but there was always that barrier. They weren't as chaotic and unfettered as the Donquixotes were. He missed the Heart Pirates still— his heart panging for a moment over them— but it was good that at least there was this familiar comfort to cling to.

Baby 5 tapped her chin as she bustled over to bow her head to Doflamingo. "Can I get you anything else? Drink? More food? Back rub? Anything you like, young master! There was a lotta talk. Lots about that. A bit about Uta's concert. S-some other stuff." 

"A drink, please, Baby," Doffy purred, scooting his chair closer to Law's. "Did the navigators bring up the marine situation at all?"

"Bepo did mention it," Komurasaki nodded. "It sounds like we're going to see some fighting tomorrow."

Baby 5 grinned brightly at him before she scurried to pour him a drink, "I'm so excited sir. I haven't been able to kill anyone for days, and I'm starting to feel itchy about it."

Law poked at his food before he called out. "A drink for me too, thanks Baby. heh…" He closed his eyes. "Honestly? I'm really excited to take out a few marines too. Didn't get a proper fight with Blackbeard…the bastard." 

Doffy patted Law on the back and squeezed his shoulder. "Not yet. We'll have a chat with ol' Croc about that. I'm getting really tired of seeing that bastard in the papers. And now the family's got a standing grudge with him."

Baby 5 grinned widely "I wanna blow his sniper's head off from a couple of miles away. You know. To prove I'm better."

Law leaned into his touch. "Heh, yeah. You know that sounds good to me. We'll rally Cross Guild and take our grudge to the bastard to finally take him out when the time's right." 

"Damn right," Doffy growled. "And we'll pay him back in blood. That'll be a real fight. Tomorrow's just a bit of exercise."

Doflamingo's leg rested against Law's under the table. He'd always known how physical Doffy could be— now it was back in full force and certainly not letting up any time soon.

He sighed good naturedly, leaning his leg back against Doflamingo's as he poked at his meal.

Baby came back with two drinks, placing them down in front of each of them before she chirped "I wanna see how Saki fights!" 

"I'm sure I have a lot of people to impress," Komurasaki said. "You included. The captain— Corazon— hasn't even seen me fight yet."

"What a shame," Doffy purred, rubbing his knee on Law's. "Let's consider it a chance for everybody to show off."

A few minutes of idle chatter later, Komurasaki and Baby 5 had finished up the cleaning and headed out for a smoke, leaving Law and Doffy to finish dinner and their bottle of wine together. Law raised his filled glass to Doffy, a subtle smile on his face. It was nice, just the two of them in the aftermath of a chaotic reunion. Sharing a drink, some talk of things to come.

It made him feel right at home. For the first time in a long time. 

Doffy smiled widely and clinked his glass against Law's, his large body so close he was half on top of him even though they were in separate chairs. "Cheers, Corazon. To a fresh start."

-

On deck, Komurasaki leaned over the railing, her pale green hair flowing out behind her like the sea below.

Baby 5 leaned on her hand, propped up against the railing as the smoke curled from her cigarette to the sky above. The sea was beautiful, sure— but she couldn't tear her eyes from the way Komurasaki's hair drifted in the wind. It was just as beautiful, if not more so; absolutely more so. So much had happened in the last day, but her private wish had come true. Law was their Corazon, her close and beloved childhood friend wouldn't leave them again, especially now that they were the only two from their cluster who were left. He'd be here with them— screwing Doffy, playing around with the gang's jokes and chaos, and staying close. Just like she'd wished.

His crew; the navigator Bepo and Komurasaki, the woman as beautiful and deadly as the sea, were gonna stay with them. As part of the family. Part of the gang, no longer held at arm's length as guests or possible enemies.

They had time now, time to get to know one another. She chewed the end of her cigarette with a subtle flush.

"Looks like things with the young master and Corazon have really settled, huh? Means you guys are officially part of the gang officially one of us, without the fear of Corazon backin' out at the last second." 

"So it seems," Komurasaki chuckled beautifully, still looking out to sea. "I'm far from displeased."

She turned and smiled at Baby 5 with that strange, distant look of hers. "Could I share one of your cigarettes?"

Baby 5 grabbed her pack immediately, pulling a cigarette out with a few soft taps and offering it to her with a bob of her head. "Course ya can, here— I'll light it off mine, Saki." 

She took the offered cigarette and cocked her head with a little smile. "Show me how that's done."

Baby 5 chuckled. "Alright, put it between your lips, and take short little puffs off it, first of all "

She loved smoking, her earliest vice since the day she bummed one off of Dia and a calming habit that often stymied her nervous nature. That was to say nothing about the social aspect— the moments on the deck with another as you shared a cigarette and talked. 

Komurasaki put the cigarette between her soft lips, holding it there as was becoming increasingly common. She had refined features, and deep eyes, but with the cigarette in her mouth, she looked more sharp— more rebellious. 

The sharp, rebellious Komurasaki…she belonged with the Donquixote family. She had the right edge to her, the right spirit. Baby 5 was like a moth to the flame as she leaned in closer and placed the tip of her cigarette against Komurasaki's without breaking eye contact.

The flame started to pass, flaring in time with Saki's intakes of breath. 

Komurasaki did it exactly right, inhaling in sharp little puffs until the tip of her own cigarette was lit, her face quite close to Baby 5's. She felt a hand brush her hip.

Her face flushed as the flame lit up, the flickering embers casting light in both their eyes as they leaned close. She didn't flinch away from the hand, even with her flustered surprise. Instead, she raised her own hand to rest against the curve of Komurasaki's side.

"See, nice and easy. Best way to light a cigarette."

"I can see why you'd say so," Komurasaki agreed, taking a long puff and turning her head to blow the smoke out to sea, before bringing her gaze back to catch Baby 5's. All the while her hand lingered on her hip. "I appreciate your wisdom. And your company."

Baby 5 smiled, warmth blooming through her at the complement. Wisdom, and company. She had never really been called wise and so many people didn't care as much about her company as they cared about what she could do for them.

She liked Komurasaki's company a lot. The woman, with all her subtle mysteries and her reserved air, was a powder keg of rebellion and excitement. Beautiful, deadly, fascinating, kind…

Baby 5 blew her smoke towards the sea as well, her thumb brushing against Komurasaki's side as she chuckled. "You can have my company whenever you want it, Saki. Happen to really like yours too. Don't think I've ever met anyone quite like you.." 

"The same for myself in regards to you, Baby 5," she chuckled softly, shifting so that they stood shoulder to shoulder. "The winds and tides have brought me to a strange place since I cast myself off to them. I'll be happy for the opportunity to get to know you better. You can teach me about the world out here."

Baby 5 rested against her with a tilt of her head. "The island of Wano's real different from everything I'd ever known, Saki. The world you talk about ain't anything like the places I've lived…the North Blue, Dressrosa…"

Her hand shook a little as she dared to loop it around behind Komurasaki's back, holding her as they smoked against the railing. "You can count on me…I'll make sure to teach ya everything I can about the world, or anythin' you want." 

Komurasaki leaned her cheek against Baby 5's as they stood together on the deck of the ship. She didn't say 'I need your help', she didn't echo that she'd be counting on her. She just said, "Thanks."

And the way she smiled, Baby 5 knew that she meant it.

Baby 5's heart melted more than a heart of bullets and blades ever should. She smiled brightly around her cigarette and looked out on the infinite sea as she exhaled curling smoke into the night air.

"Any time, Saki-baby." 

-

Bepo cuddled half on top of Law in the cot in their cabin after the work was done for the evening. He was a little surprised Law was there, and not dragged off by Doflamingo, but he wasn't complaining.

Law lay against him, arm draped over his furry chest and face nuzzled into his side. He looked comfortable, relaxed…and above all, happy. 

Bepo nuzzled him and snuffled his hair. He couldn't help but chuckle. "This is going to take some getting used to. You smell like Doflamingo."

Law sputtered against him. "Yeah he has a way of rubbing his fuckin' stink on people," he muttered, glancing up at him with a grin. "I'm sure we'll both get used to it pretty fast." 

"I'm sure," Bepo chuckled again. He gently thumped the top of Law's head with his chin. "We can get used to pretty much anything. Even if this isn't what I expected at the beginning of the year."

It reminded Bepo of the way they had met— unexpected and tumultuous, all snap decisions and 'I guess this is what we're doing now. Bepo had never regretted it, not even a little bit.

"You know me better than that, Bepo. Never expect anything at the start of the year. It ain't ever going to go according to plan. I'm Dr. Impulsive Decisions, remember?" 

"Oh trust me," he huffed, grumbling and pulling him closer. "I know. And I'm not complaining. I think this is the happiest I've ever seen you. So. I'm happy."

Law flushed, looking up at him with his chins till nestled in his fur. "It is huh? I was wonderin'. I'm glad it makes you happy, Bepo. I'm glad you're gonna come with me on this." 

"On any and every adventure, captain. No matter where it takes us, or who we turn out to be."

Law kissed his cheek, half crawling on top of him to hug him tighter. "Damn right, Bepo. You've always been precious to me, hope you know that."

Bepo rumbled embarrassedly in his chest as he remembered the other night, when Law had called him his 'greatest treasure. 

"I know it. Without any doubt, captain. And you're just as precious to me."

Heart Pirates, Donquixote Pirates, or even on their own. Bepo decided it really didn't matter to him, as long as Law let him come along. And he trusted that now he always would.

-

The encounter with the marines was exactly like Doflamingo said it would be— less of a fight, and more like exercise. It was a bloodbath. Thanks to Violet, they came into it knowing all of the enemy's positions, numbers and major weapons, and it was used to full advantage.

They swept in like a goddamned tidal wave. For all their quirks and their ridiculous bullshit— the Donquixote Family were a terror in battle. A force of nature that plowed down anything in their way in a cackling bloodbath of violence anderror.

Law and his crew moved among them,crashing through a port fortification with his power in full effect. Cannonballs and bombs meant for them wound up back in the thick of bunker encampments, detonating and shredding the marines inside. Limbs flew, replaced with explosives, and hearts were torn from their chests as they fought deeper into the island.

It felt good— damned good— to be fighting with them instead of against them. Pieces of the landscape warped under Giolla's power, becoming strange and twisted art, as men fell to the cackling Derringer and his sharpened heels. Baby 5 moved like a dance of death, shifting and twisting her form into all manner of deadly weapons just like he remembered to execute whole groups without breaking a sweat.

This was the power of the DQ family, the fact he'd beaten them in Dressrosa was almost a miracle. The other executives were making a terror of themselves— the ground rippling under enemy feet, tossing marines to the ground where some of them writhed like insects in Trebol's glue traps. Pica was already rebuilding his shrunken body with stone from the fortifications on the island while Vergo intercepted the more powerful haki users among the marines.

Doffy of course, was doing what he did best, standing and laughing as his threads sowed chaos in the form of enemies appearing to fight one another— none knowing where the next attack would come from.

Law's crew were just as terrifying, too, Komurasaki watching Baby 5's back, her swordsmanship with shusui a terror to behold. And Bepo protected Law's flank, powerful and opportunistic. 

At the end, the commanders rallied for a last charge against them, which was met with enthusiasm. Almost too late however, it turned out to be a distraction for a sneak attack. In the flurry of combat Law heard someone behind him almost too late— and then a choking sound.

Law turned to find that Doflamingo was garrotting a huge marine who'd had the tip of his sword nearly between his shoulderblades only a moment before.

Doffy hovered over the battlefield, grinning. "Take it away, Corazon."

Law stared for a moment at the marine, whipping around with a fury in his eyes. 

"Thanks Doffy," he breathed for only a moment before he formed a glimmering green gamma knife in his fingers and hammered it home through the marine's heart.

The green fire flared through the man for a moment, the waves of energy liquifying him from the inside as Law held his hand to his chest before shoving him away to collapse in a bleeding heap. 

The Donquixote pirates were the only ones still breathing in the aftermath of the violence, and Doflamingo leaned down to sling his arm around Law's shoulders when all was said and done.

"You looked good out there, Corazon," he purred, smiling. "Did good, too."

"You weren't half bad yourself, Doffy." Law flashed a wicked grin up at him. "Feels good to have gotten a little exercise." 

Doffy chuckled. "I'll bet. It was fun to see you cut loose like that— on somebody else," he teased. "I'll be excited to see you face a real challenge with us."

He cracked his knuckles, looking out at the devastation. No doubt the rest of the family would collect the bodies, and the identifying marks they needed, and bring them back to Cross Guild for the payout.

"Probably after this Uta thing. Can't imagine that's gonna turn out to be much of a fight at the end of the day." 

"Brawl at an Uta concert?" Doffy laughed. "I sure fucking hope not. But that should be fun anyway."

Strings wrapped their way around Law's wrist and hauled him gently against Doflamingo's chest.

"Hey, Law." He saw himself reflected twice in Doffy's glittering lenses. "I missed you."

Law leaned up against him with a quiet chuckle. "...Few weeks ago I wouldn't have believed it but…I missed you too, Doffy." 

"I believe you, Corazon." Doffy chuckled and licked his thumb, wiping a spot of blood off of Law's face. Then he pulled him into an eager kiss.

Law kissed him deeply, melting into his arms as the remains of the battlefield calmed around them. 

His life had never quite gone according to plan. The loss of his sister, the death of his hometown, his attempted suicide, his life with the Donquixotes and his way Rosi took him away from them and sent him on a quest for revenge he fully expected to die right after.

Somehow, Doffy was at the center of so much of that— drawing him back in. Saving him, loving him.

Somehow, life had taken him right back to Doflamingo. Right back to where he seemed to belong. 

[springfallendeer]

Lethal Culinary Note: The Jester

@thycatfromhell while you may be disappointed, this is more or less how things are set up in the AU.

Ayala's Culinary Notes:

Before you read on, I must regretably to inform you that you will find nothing of real value here. There are no recipes. At best I could provide you with the theoretical recipes that I could make from the mishmash of body parts that makes up this horrific entity, but I would rather not put reckless ideas into anyone's head.

So I will simply do my best to describe this creature and what is known of it, in hopes that anyone who has yet to encounter it might walk away unscathed.

First thing to note.

The Jester cannot be killed. Not with shovels. Not with guns. Not with missile launchers. Not with any other weapon that you might find or create. If you attempt to fight one, it will kill you.

The Jester cannot be hidden from. If you are inside the building then it already knows where you are. Turning off your walkie will not save you. Turning off your flashlight will not save you. You can remain perfectly still and perfectly silent, and it will still find you once it has decided that it is out for blood.

You cannot lock yourself behind a door; it will simply break that door down to find you.

The closest that you have to a glimmer of hope is to find someplace high up off of the ground, where it cannot reach you. But unless there is someone monitoring you from the outside, prepared to rush in as a distraction or to teleport you out; you will die upon that perch.

No one knows what the Jester is or why it behaves the way that it does. Any attempts to study it have ended in nothing but casualties. Any attempts to communicate with it or befriend it have likewise, ended with nothing but casualties.

There was one a time where I foolishly believed that strange little box to be harmless. Cute and friendly, even, as I watched it follow around my anxious and lost crewmate.

I was more innocent then. Much less aware of the morbid and dark realities of my new duties as a freshly convicted criminal.

Like many before me, I was under the impression that the worst I would ever need to worry about was grabbing enough scrap to make quota.

But then beast began to wind itself up, and that eerie, distorted music began to play.

The terrified screams of my crewmate; my friend and companion; still haunt my dreams to this day. And I can still recall the feelings of confusion and amusement that I held onto as I watched this seemingly harmless creature terrify my friend to no end.

I can recall how those feelings abruptly transitioned into mortified shock when the song finished playing, and the beast showed its true face.

I can remember how I stood there, frozen in absolute terror, as my friend was ripped apart by... Eldritch abomination.

I watched every drop of blood that splattered across the nearby wall as his body was crushed between giant, humanoid jaws and thrashed around like a dogs toy.

I listened as his terrified screams abruptly gave way to a strained rasp, and then a gargle as he quickly choked on his own blood.

Each lethal clench of the Jester's teeth forced more air past his lips. He groaned and wheezed well after his death, all due to how his body was being chewed on by the thing that can come to claim his life.

Then it turned to me.

With a rush of adrenaline I turned and I ran. That thing followed after me all the while, somehow getting faster with each step as my body struggled to maintain a steady pace.

My heart nearly flew out of my chest when I lost my footing and fell flat upon the floor. The uneven texture of the metal grating left deep cuts on my arms and stomach. Cuts that have since healed and faded into pale, permanent reminders of the hell that I witnessed.

By stroke of dumb luck, I only happened be between the Jester and the next poor sap that it wanted. The beast ran overtop of me, further damaging my body but otherwise leaving me alive.

By then I was lost. I was terrified. My walkie had been damaged, and so I had no means of communicating with anyone who had not yet been taken out.

I had no means of communicating a dire need of being teleported. And I had no means of knowing if there was even anyone left alive who could teleport me to safety.

I heard more screams as I haphazardly stumbled about in search of somewhere to hide.

I heard the beast break down doors. I heard the heavy stomping of its feet as it made its way through the building at terrifying speed.

By some means of a miracle I found my way on top of the ledge above the apparatus. To this day I do not know how I managed to drag myself up to such a high place, yet alone how I did so with a broken wrist and multiple sprains.

It did not take long for the Jester to find me. And though it could not leave me, it refused to leave me be.

I could do nothing but watch as it stomped back and forth below me while gnashing its teeth. Teeth which had since become stained by all of the recent gore.

Scraps of my mauled teammates dangled from its maw.

It stared at me through empty eye sockets, completely transfixed on me, and I on it.

I have no doubt that I would have died had my last remaining crewmate not made their way back to the ship. The only reason that they knew I was still alive was because they could see the Jester wildly pacing in front of my motionless body.

For a few seconds, I fully believed that I had somehow died when I suddenly found myself back on the ship. And once I realized that I had been saved... Well. There is no need to describe how utterly broken that experienced left me. To this day, some part of me is still broken.

My only warnings to anyone that happens to read this, is to just avoid that beast at all costs.

At first sign of it, leave. If you happen to be alone and you hear the distant hum of that distorted song, turn back the way you came. Abandon anything that weighs you down.

Get the fuck out of the building and do not go back inside. There is nothing waiting for you there but death.

[makima-s-most-smile]

Trigun Maximum 7.1

Me: Okay, I rush quickly through the volumes to catch up.

Also me: *rambles your ear off*

Trigun Ultimate: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Trigun Maximum: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5

Happy Days

Dunno, how that can be a happy day when the ships are nearly falling down. Don’t worry, they stay in the sky… for now.

And Rem’s obvious fear that is strong enough for her to take time to call the twins WHILE the ships have an emergency and Vash’ constant cautiousness make Knives worry, too. If the twins are such an exceptional appearance, why didn’t Rem wake the other watchers?

But Knives has more important things to do than worry! He seems intrinsically connected to the emergency at hand.

I… watched too many sci-fi-horror stuff. My first thought when seeing the hand was: ZOMBIES!

And ewewewewew, needle in neck. NOOOOOOO! EWWWWWWWWW! I am so icked out.

They have no brainwaves when being frozen. We learned that in the last chapter. So, they are dead. Imagine being nothing and suddenly… BAMM! You’re back! Cold as hell and need to act immediately. Fuckity.

Hi, Conrad! You look exactly like 150 years later. Tell me your skincare routine.

Three years. I shall make a note, this seems important.

Eh, typical crew banter. At least it is not like ‘98. Brrrr….

Knives, what did you do?

And the crewmembers are sus. Do they know? Why would they know? But they zoom in on something, maybe something that happened three years ago? But Rem lies. And suddenly that friendly crew banter seems less friendly and a predatory feeling added.

Rem does not accept. She thanks the crewmate, but she does not accept it! With the sus scene before it reads like Rem is shielding the twins from the crews knowledge. And it looks more and more like Rem is hiding something like fear and mistrust behind her friendly face. (Also, I think it is somewhat funny that Rem and Wolfwood act so similar. Both don’t truly lie, they avoid and distract.)

How did Rem not see Conrad not going into coldsleep? She had to be pissed at Knives at that moment to err like this! XD And we get the confirmation that Knives was the cause for the emergency and that’s why he is so locked onto his little tablet.

A year… later more to that.

I think Rem’s handling is a bit naive. She just wants to take the twins into coldsleep with her. That’s okay. But how does she think her crewmates other than Conrad will react? Does she have different pods for the twins? Isn’t there a high risk that one crewmate would see two more pods in use? Or does she want to take them in the same pod with her? Then they would be discovered at the next emergency. Conrad seems to be on her side, while not completely okay with her violating the rules, he tolerates it. And while in coldsleep, Rem is unable to act if some crewmate decides to… whatever. 

Vash’ expression. He does not believe it immediately, but Knives makes him believe and trust Conrad’s words and in a peaceful existence. It is so weird to see Knives being the hopeful and excited twin. And in the current timeline, both are full of pain and despair. Just Vash is masking behind the smile he learned to wear.

I think of her like an echo, like the image of Conrad was one when Knives killed him. The twins do not know. They think of their little crush instead and need to check her pod first. They cannot discern if the image is real or not.

An abandoned, medical wing with a fresh, cut flower. A memorial for someone or something and it is taken care of. Maybe Rem or Conrad (since it seems he just went back to sleep) put it there. With the distrust for the other crewmembers, I doubt it was one of them.

Tesla, the name is not foreboding at all. Like Tesla the inventor without whom our day and age would not be possible, but who was duped out of his inventions, who was used up until he died poor and isolated. (The man loved pigeons and I know I would have vibed with him just for that)

Yeah, the subject… the dehumanised subject. The person being able to perceive, feel and hurt that is just a soulless subject. The subject that is able to speak! How did it take ONEHUNDRED days for someone to pipe up about the ethical questions of: Cutting the child up! I didn’t get it in the first read through, but she got tumours most likely because she was scanned so much. Do you know how much you need to be x-rayed for that to happen? Many, many, many times. Daily... And they did not care… Tesla was not able to perceive pain in their warped view. 

We only see three of the five crewmates loom over Tesla. With the dispute and everything, we can assume that Conrad and Rem weren’t involved, but also weren’t able to stop it. Either because they weren’t able to get through to the other crewmates or being overruled.

The question of ethics is an important one for me. Even distancing myself from the horrible feeling I have about all of this and look at it more rationally, why did they do this? Yes, curiosity mixed with dehumanisation. But I mean not only that, aren’t there protocols and behavioural standards that they have to keep up? *points to Germany and Japan in the 40s* There is a reason those exist! The SEED project has to have rules for behaviour and for emergencies! How to act if something unforeseen happens! And human rights do not stop working just because you are in space. These people played god, they played with a lifeform! A lifeform they were able to perceive as conscious! There are so many things that can be tested without vivisecting her! And besides that, do they even have the training to do so? Their work is to keep the SEEDS ship on course… Sorry, but engineering stuff and ship stuff to VIVISECTION… that’s a far jump. What was even their goal in this? Because I don’t read any here. I just read someone ripping off the legs of a spider to see what happens. Understanding Tesla and her power is not their goal! There is no hypothesis, there is no thing they want to prove. Even the simple idea of: How does Tesla work/perceive stuff… Because for that… they could have talked and used tests that aren’t… *stares at the picture* ripping out her heart to see what happens. We see them use EEGs! Some close friends work in research. To make a study that contains humans they need to get through a dire evaluation process, and an ethics committee and more often than not they get denied because some wording is slightly off. Hell, they had to go through hell to get a study with pigeons approved! (granted… the pigeons were euthanized and their brains were cut up into small slices).

Tesla didn’t even reach her first birthday. That’s why it is so important that the boys are a year old to Conrad.

Even in death they did not leave Tesla whole. Her brain is separated and her angel arm, too. The rest of her body is torn apart and left floating in a tank like a medicinal specimen.

But I like these panels. “Someone just like us.” Interrupted by the very personification of grief and regret. Then Vash seeing what happened with Tesla.

Yeah… yeah…

What do you think? How long did Knives and Vash stay in the room, staring at Tesla in terror? Vash looks dehydrated and starved… How long did it take for Rem to look for them and find them, much less retrieving them.

Separate Ways

I… wouldn’t call that weakness, Rem… I know the wording is meant to resemble a prayer… but… Weakness is me binging on a chocolate cake, weakness is falling back into a bad habit, weakness is lashing out at someone in pain, weakness is letting someone step over your boundaries because you are too afraid of rejection. Weaknesses are things that make us fallible, that make us be at odds with each other and that make us imperfect, but still loveable beings. Weakness is not cutting up and killing an innocent child in slow motion. That was a continued active decision to be horrible. They did not reflect upon their actions at all. 

“Forgive us in our weakness.” And Rem cannot ask for forgiveness for her colleagues. They aren’t the least affected by what they did, okay, Conrad. But asking for forgiveness is nothing you can do in proxy. And it should not be on the boys, too. They need to work through their pain and grief. The only person who could forgive is Tesla, but she is dead. Rem needs to work through her guilt herself, not that she is really good at it. Vash truly takes after her.

Oh, how the turn tables.

Vash goes full Knives. Understandable. Vash is the more cautious brother. Even then he was hopeful, it was always with Vash staying reserved and awaiting rejection. And with the last chapter of volume 6 in mind, his way of thinking gets constantly affirmed. Though the question is what changed from this little Vash to the adult Vash. Because adult Vash does not allow himself those thoughts, while he is rejected by humans most of the time. The thoughts are there, they make him and they make his behaviour. But he denies himself these at the same time, ignoring his feelings and hurts.

Vash going for the throat. Not unjustified, but still hot damn.

Rem was at least a bystander in Tesla’s death. Either she, Conrad or the both of them voiced the ethical questions, but it took 100 days until it was dire enough for it to be written in the report. But we don’t know for sure. Rem’s and Conrad’s involvement is kept in a pretty vague light. Maybe she even experimented on Tesla at the start? We can’t know. But we know it haunts her.

Interestingly, Rem’s grief is about herself. It is not entirely about Tesla, but her involvement in her death. It is about her not having enough power in any way to stop the crew. Adult Vash mimics Rem in this with his martyrdom. This whole situation of Rem’s guilt makes me think of the base ideas behind the Milgram-Experiment, Asch-conformity experiments and peer pressure, while the torture itself reminds me of the banality of evil. There are of course complicating factors here, like that in this situation there is no higher authority figure and we don’t get a code of behaviour, the isolation of the crew members and more.

I… pity Rem, I feel for her, HELL, I get how isolated she feels from her peers, how (from what we can gather) she was powerless to stop the torture. I feel the dilemma she was in, I feel for her. But at the same time I judge her for her words. While Vash is lashing out, he has points! How can he trust Rem right now? He knew of his otherness the whole time and now he was confronted with what happened to others like him. Rem hid that from him. Somewhat rightfully so with him being a child, but still… Vash does not know how she tried to stop this or if she tried to stop this at all! He doesn’t know her pain and this is not the moment in which it should be about her guilt. But she makes it about herself. Rem is there for them because of her guilt. She wants some kind of forgiveness for her being unable to protect Tesla. The twins cannot give her that. No one but herself can give her that. But having her guilt towering over their whole relationship makes it unhealthy and quite frankly Rem a bad role model. Rem hides herself from the twins, giving them an incomplete picture of a person to look up to. This lashing out from her is a rare occasion of showing her true self and I don’t believe adult Vash has a grip on the real Rem at all. He mirrors her, but he is unable to see that the role model he had is very unhealthy and ill.

In the end, Rem wants to do some kind of atonement for her involvement with Tesla (be it by being an active torturer, by being a bystander or being helpless to stop it) and she uses the twins to get it. I don’t think of her as a monster, but she was in no position to be a mother to the twins and it shows. She was an everywoman that got dealt a hand that was way beyond her abilities.

Peach! A peach is an interesting symbol. It can mean life and immortality. Considering the following scene starts with a peach and how impactful it was…

It is also interesting that they don't seem to talk really. Rem does not really open up there, she puts on a mask and tries to wittle down Vash to get him to eat. She doesn't help him through his pain like this. Ignoring the others position is not the way to help people.

Ugh, Vash sprouted the same thing to Wolfwood. It is so fucking judgemental. And like Vash’ similar lines in that talk (the other with the devil are total hits), these lines totally miss the mark. What about this is too light?! I know Rem says this, because she cannot help Vash with his trauma here. She wants to help Vash, she wants him to live and she is out of any helpful options. But those lines are so empty… It is the same with the typical depression sentences that people get: “Have you tried not being sad? You are just lazy. Other people have it worse than you.” They are voiced frustration, they are a cry of helplessness, but they are the opposite of helpful. They are without empathy. They deny validity to Vash’ feelings, they push them aside. And I hate that. Worse, these lines just make Vash’ mental state so much worse, which ends with this.

And this is the pivotal moment for Vash. He got his revenge. He got his anger out. And it is empty. Revenge is nothing, it leaves you a shell. His hurt clouded what and who he truly cares for. And now his action finally takes him out of his stasis. 

And that’s why adult Vash tries to not kill/hurt in anger. Because it leaves you empty, it doesn’t solve anything. The person you hurt is gone, but you are still hurt. He learned it the hard way. Rem is the example of people trying to change, if people who hurt you are doing better by you. And because she did it, everyone else has to be able to do that, too. (Well, everyone is able to change, but not everyone will change, but that is Vash’ fallacy here, not mine.)

Oh, Alex is finally mentioned. Rem was so deeply depressed. Look at all the alcohol bottles. Alcohol as coping mechanism runs in the family -_-

Rem has been depressed, her loss made her. She should be able to emphasise with Vash in his stupor. But if you are that deep in it… getting out of it needs to come from yourself. You need to be wanting to get better, you need to get help in therapy or with medicine or better both. She cannot force Vash to get better. She should have known. (Sorry, but that is something close to my heart, I am miffed at Rem here!)

I like and I don’t like the blank ticket. For once it symbolises that you can start anew at any time. You can choose where to go, your past does not bind you down. But… for some people it does. The blank ticket only works if you are unbound by responsibilities, by community, hell, by money. There are limits. And Vash never got to understand that. Rem wasn’t there to teach him. Well, she was. But the lesson did not stick. Because, yeah, her ticket was blank, but he chose her responsibilities to all the people. She chose to try and save as many people as possible. She could have jumped into the rescue pod and flee with Vash and Knives, but she didn't, because her responsibilities bound her to this place. And I don't feel Vash understands that.

Oh, he knows.

He looks so dopey, I get cuteness aggression.

But with the chapter title in mind, this is where Vash and Knives drift apart.

King of loneliness

Front page showing Vash and Wolfwood. Nice.

Okay, we finally get more info. Nothing about if Conrad and Rem were part of the experiments in the beginning, but at least now we know who started opposing. And, yes, it is the right thing to inform Knives. I still feel split about it, since they are a year old, they do not have the emotional maturity to handle it/Rem has not the abilities to handle child trauma, but then again they are able to understand so much more, would hiding really work? Let them make informed decisions and they get to.

Making my rounds back to Conrad. That is why he wanted to stay with Knives, even after betraying him. Because that was his kind of atonement. He feels guilty for being unable to help Tesla, he projects that onto Knives, too. I groaned at him betraying Knives that late, but it makes sense. Giving Knives a new body, trying to help him, he was acting out of his guilt. Still massively stupid and in complete denial, but there is some sense in it.

Because that’s healthy… Rem and Vash feel something is off about Knives, maybe more than just the shock about Tesla. But they trust him. And he shows emotions, he cries. While he isn’t his chipper self, there is the old Knives. But is it just a mask? I am not sure. Towards Rem, maybe not, but Vash gets some more sinister vibes.

*stares at adult Knives, who hides his fear behind aggression and anger* Yeah, fear is completely pointless… Sure… No way you are going down the rabbit whole of genocide right now.

Again, NIghtow’s brilliant display of two different emotions in one face. Fear, sadness and hurt vs. anger and madness. The current Knives takes over the small, fearful kid.

*stares* Much rational, so emotionless, no fear at all. I always laugh at this sentence. He is so far gone in this moment...

Porque No Los Dos?

Those numbers… make no sense. If 802 of 1.000 ships got destroyed, then there would be 60 Mil casualties and 20 Mil missing due to the ships being still lost. Or are the missing persons just the people who aren’t known to have died or have been lost after the initial crash?  And how many survived? We could at least take a shot in the dark and math an estimate of survivors..

Okay. 80 Million lost or death. Taking that the death toll and lost are both directly caused by ships lost/destroyed and not the aftermath. 

802 +124 ships gone. 

80M/926 would be people per ship. 

Thus 

80M/926*124

= People survived in emergency landings 

around 10.713.000 survived the initial crash.

We know much death and strife followed until humanity stopped stumbling that much. So, I assume that the population took another downfall and is now back to where it was.

Knives, you are able to reflect enough that you did an oopsie by killing your sisters, too. But you are unable to understand that fear hides behind your anger or that you abuse Vash… Man…

Knives is not completely wrong about his assumptions about humanity as a gross. But that makes it so difficult to get through to him. Yes, his sisters are exploited, but he is a big cause for this. Should humans just give up and die? And he ignores the blatant devotion the plant engineer showed, he ignores how many of his sisters are well taken care off. 

Did his sister truly merge of her own will? Or is it another moment of Knives ignoring others autonomy because he is so rational?

“And from that moment on, the world was plunged into chaos.” I… think it was chaotic before that… but yeah, rat in a corner-Knives is another level of deranged.

[airplanned]

Work in Progress Monday!

Presenting: The first scene of A Me for You spin off with Robin, who's trying her best not to be an unhinged, eldritch grief monster

Or: wait, wait! I think I have a plot/structure for this! (Which is funny, because it needs to come after the Nami spin off. Oh well!)

--

Three months after Marineford

Robin waits by the sloop, standing on the ruined dock facing a ruined town.  The smell of smoke still hangs in the air, and she  breathes through her mouth and ignores the images flashing through her mind.  Her hands ball into tight fists, because she doesn't allow them to shake.

She has always been good at keeping it together.

By the time the figure strides towards her, pausing just three steps onto the dock to tilt his head at her, she has the most perfect bored posture.

"Dracule Mihawk," she greets with dispassion.  This man could kill her, so she'll have to be ready to kill him first.  That would be unfortunate.  "My name is Nico Robin."

"Demon Child," he says.

"Yes."

"I've never heard of you."

The corners of her mouth twitch, something in her chest stuttering as it loosens.  "I'm looking for information regarding Roronoa Zoro."

He blinks gleaming gold eyes at her.  "Roronoa Zoro."

"He is first mate of the Strawhat Crew, and a swordsman of some renown."

He sighs as if the conversation is vexing, and in a bored voice says, "My understanding is that the Strawhat Crew went into hiding for their own safety.  Such deep hiding that even their own crewmates are unable to find them."  His eyebrow twitches.  "Or perhaps I've been misinformed."

"You have not."

"Then I wouldn't have the slightest idea."

"I know.  I'm not asking where he is.  I just want to know if he's alive and well."

His eyes narrow slightly.  "How would I know that?"

"There's a legend.  When you hold someone's life in your hands and show mercy, a debt is formed on a spiritual level.  You would feel the release of that debt upon his death."  (He would feel the ripping, the tearing, the blinding shock of pain--)

The story is nonsense.  There's no such legend, and if there was, even she wouldn't be desperate enough to believe it.

It's nonsense.  And Dracule Mihawk will recognize it as such, and with any luck, he will take it as the opportunity for the plausible deniability that it is.

Because Robin knows that Mihawk and her swordsman are soulmates, and Dracule Mihawk is the only person she knows who can tell her if Zoro is alive.

"That is absurd," he says.

"Perhaps."

He hums and lazily steps forward.  "I have felt no such release of his debt.  So by your logic, I would assume he is alive."

She holds herself back from sagging in relief.  Alive, alive, alive, alive.

"You want to know if he's doing well."  He's closer now, and getting closer.  "Roronoa Zoro is determined and loyal to a fault.  After being separated from his friends and watching his captain suffer such a bitter defeat while wrestling with the guilt that he failed to be there to help...No, I imagine he is not faring well at all."

A shudder runs through her.  Pain and regret and sympathy because she knows what Zoro feels.  It's a part of what she herself feels.

Mihawk comes even with her and keeps walking, passing her to head towards his sloop.  "But he is strong," he says.  "I'm sure he will recover and return to his usual, irksome self."

She hums in agreement, her eyes locked on the ruined town in front of her.

Then his footsteps pause.

He heaves a put upon sigh.

He does not turn around as he says, "I know I'll regret asking this.  But how many other Strawhat Pirates have you managed to track down?"

"One."  She looks over her shoulder and meets the corner of his eye.  "Our sharpshooter seems to be doing as well as could be expected.  Perhaps better than most.  It seems he didn't watch the broadcast."

"A blessing."

"Indeed."

He turns and easily hops aboard his small ship, untying the moor lines and tossing them away.  She offers a few quiet hands to push him on his way.

As he drifts off, he gives her one final look.  "My condolences, Nico Robin."  His sincerity sets something aching in her chest.  And he sounds sincere with his next words as well.  "Do not contact me again."

She bows her head in agreement, and he turns away.  She watches until his ship is nearly out of sight.

Then she allows herself a single moment.  She hugs herself as tightly as she can and heaves the deepest breath she can mange.

Zoro is alive.  Alive, alive, alive. 

This time, her family will survive.

[hummingbird-of-light]

June of Doom Day 28

28. “You’ll get used to it.”                        

| Knife | Hostage | Surrender |

TW: major character death(s), blackmailing, enslavement

A/N: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

~

When the augments had returned and had taken over their ship with the help of the Romulans, Scotty had had hope. He had believed that Jim would solve the problem. He had believed that he'd change Khan's mind, that he'd make him an ally. After all, the captain didn't believe in no-win-scenarios.

But he had been wrong. Khan had killed Jim. For real this time. And once the crew's great anchor of hope had been gone, no one had dared to fight back anymore. Not like they would have stood a chance anyway. There were too many Romulans. And with the help of the augments their group was invincible.

The Enterprise had been taken to Romulus where their captors were celebrated like heroes for capturing the most popular ship of the Federation.

And the crew? They had been forced to work for the Romulans. It was a horrible life. The ones who tried to fight were killed. The ones who surrendered were treated as slaves in the most humiliating ways.

Scotty was still sitting in a cell, waiting for what was to happen to him.

He had had a lot of time to think. About his dead crewmates. About his gorgeous silver lady being taken apart piece by piece.

Maybe it would be best to fight back and be killed. That way he wouldn't have to endure the horrible aching of his heart. That way he'd be free from the chains these cruel people had put on him.

But a wee bit of hope was still left inside of him. Maybe the Federation would send someone. Maybe they'd start a war to save the crew that had saved their lives so many times.

When a door opened and the engineer heard footsteps, he slowly raised his head to look at his visitor.

His expression darkened at the sight. What was that bastard doing here? What did he want from him?

"Hello Mr. Scott."

That deep chilling voice. It still send shivers down the Scotsman's spine.

He looked away, not wanting to meet his counterpart's eyes.

"What do ye want?"

A cold chuckle was the only response he got while the door to the cell was being opened and the tall dark-haired man stepped inside.

"Well... I'm trying to build something. And I could really use the help of a genius."

Scotty just laughed emotionlessly. As if he'd help the man who had killed his captain - his friend.

"I've read about you, Mr. Scott. You are brilliant. It would be a waste to let you work for the Romulans. So... I want you to be my private slave."

A hand found its way onto Scott's cheek and he quickly pulled his head back, glaring at the man kneeling before him.

"How about ye kill me instead? I'd rather die than work for a bastard like ye."

Hearing that reply, Khan just sighed heavily. There was a pitiful look on his face.

"Oh, Mr. Scott. Why did I know that you'd say something like this? You are... stubborn. And loyal. Which I admire a lot."

Scotty kept his eyes fixed on his counterpart's face, before he eventually spit at it.

"Go to hell!"

He'd just have to provoke the bastard to kill him. Then everything would be over finally.

But Khan did no such thing. He just wiped across his face, before he smiled at the engineer.

"I won't kill you, Mr. Scott. You're far too valuable. But... I can make you an offer."

An offer? Ha! What was that man thinking?

"Offer me whatever ye want to... I will nae help ye."

The Scotsman looked to the side defiantly. He wouldn't give in.

"Well then... I guess I'll just let that doctor starve to death."

Scotty's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. Khan couldn't be talking about...

"Nae," he breathed, looking back at the augment. The smile on his face had grown even wider.

"Help me and I'll make sure that Dr. McCoy will have a peaceful life in enslavement."

It was a promise. A promise Khan would keep. As long as Scotty surrendered to him.

He thought of Leonard. And almost instantly tears filled his eyes. He hadn't seen the man since they had arrived on Romulus.

"Just take my hand... and we have a deal."

Scotty stared at the outstretched hand in front of him. He'd just have to take it. Then the man he loved so much would be safe.

It was worth it.

When he took the hand and shook it, he knew that he had basically sold his soul to the devil. But... he'd do anything for Leonard.

Khan grinned maliciously as he squeezed the engineer's hand tightly.

"A wise decision, Mr. Scott. You may not be happy with everything I have planned, but don't worry. You'll get used to it."

[much-obliged-timothy]

Winter Whumperland #5

Mass Effect - #5 - Warm Kisses

I went for the comfort prompt today because the boys get whumped enough in canon :’)

*

Shepard was not quite sure what to do with himself. He had considered going out to eat just to kill time and be around people, then decided he didn’t actually want to be around people.

He debated with himself before sighing and turning on the TV. He was not very good at watching TV, because he was simply not very good at just sitting and shutting his brain down long enough to enjoy it. But he grabbed a beer and sat himself on the couch, trying to relax as he flipped around for something to watch. He liked documentaries; maybe one would be enough to distract him for a bit tonight.

He had never really celebrated the holidays much. He could put on a festive attitude for his crewmates when they wanted to celebrate, but being an orphan who’d had to join a gang just to survive the streets of Earth, he hadn’t exactly celebrated growing up. 

Besides, he wasn’t used to having shore leave during the holidays. He preferred to work through them, especially so this boredom didn’t happen.

He was just starting to doze off when there was a knock on the door. He startled awake and scrubbed a hand down his face, pushing himself off the couch.

He went to the door and pulled it open. Surprise hit him at the smiling face looking back at him.

“Surprise,” Kaidan said.

“Kaidan? I thought you’d go to be with your family,” Shepard said.

“Not enough time off for that,” he said, stepping into the apartment and closing the door. “Jeez, Shepard, it’s freezing in here. Good thing I brought something warm.”

“What-” Shepard started, and then a sweater was pushed into his arms. “You can’t be serious.”

“Go put it on or you’ll make me sad,” Kaidan said, giving him a light shove towards the bathroom to change. “I’ll meet you back on the couch.”

Shepard sighed but left, if only because he was relieved to see Kaidan. He went into the bathroom and pulled on the ugly Christmas sweater, tossing his other shirt into the hamper. It was horrific to look at, but Shepard had to admit that it was nice and warm.

He left the bathroom and went back out to the couch. Kaidan had taken his jacket off, revealing his own ugly sweater. He was urging a fire to life in the fireplace.

“So, what’s the plan?” Shepard asked, lounging back against the couch.

“Dinner and a movie. But in the comfort of your apartment,” Kaidan said. “I won’t make the mighty Commander Shepard go out in public wearing that.”

“My enemies would never take me seriously again,” Shepard agreed, cracking the smallest of smiles.

“I brought food. I’ll heat it up,” Kaidan said. Before Shepard could argue, Kaidan added, “I will take a picture of you and send it to everyone. Even Wrex. Don’t argue with me tonight.”

Thoroughly defeated, Shepard waved him away. When Kaidan returned a few minutes later, he had two mugs of hot chocolate and two plates of various steaming food balanced in his hands. Shepard hurried to help him and the two settled onto the couch together with their meals.

Shepard passed the remote over to Kaidan, who found a Christmas movie to run in the background. Shepard put an arm around Kaidan, pulling him close.

“You like the holidays?” he said.

“I like being with people on the holidays,” he corrected. “And I never thought I’d miss the snow, but walking over here made me realize how much I do. Did you celebrate? I’m sorry; for all I know you celebrate Hanukkah and I’ve got you in a Christmas sweater.”

Shepard laughed. “No, no, I don’t celebrate any holiday, really. Whatever the crew wanted to celebrate. I didn’t have a family on Earth, so no one to celebrate with.”

“That…had to be lonely. I’m sorry,” Kaidan said.

Shepard shrugged. “Others had it worse. I survived.”

“And I’m glad you did,” Kaidan said, resting his head on Shepard’s shoulders as the crackling fire cast flickering shadows over them. 

“Thanks for coming tonight, Kaidan,” Shepard said, not wanting to admit just how relieved he was to have Kaidan here. He may not celebrate holidays, but he knew they were a time for family; he was grateful to have a loved one here with him.

Kaidan lifted his head and put his arms around Shepard’s neck, drawing him close. “Merry Christmas, Shepard.”

The kiss was the best kind of gift Shepard could get. It was slow and soft and loving. It was as comfortable and warm as the sweater, the fire, the familiar arms around him.

He found, in that moment, he rather enjoyed the holidays.

[sadandcha0tic]

Exile; a short story by me

The branches whip across my face, my dress tearing as it catches. I run through the thick wood, trees towering above me in a sinister way. I begin to slow down as the forest seems to thin. I’m getting close to being out of here. 

Snap. 

I whip around, only to find a wide-eyed child holding a much too-large sword behind me. 

“Rowan! Mira!! I found someone!” they yell, looking up at me curiously. The child looks to be around 12 years-old and small. 

“Who are you?” They ask, “My name is Finley.”

“Hi, um… My name is-”

I’m unable to finish my sentence before something hits my head from behind. I slump to the ground, passed out. 

***

“-if she would just wake up, already…” someone grumbles. 

My eyes slowly open. Standing in front of me is an enchanting, young woman with shoulder-length auburn hair. She looks down at me with a puzzled yet intense facial expression, and, of course, she’s pointing a sword at me.

We seem to be in a small room with wooden floors and walls. That's when I realize the room was moving. We’re on a ship, and based on the people in the room with me, it's a pirate ship at that. I’m also tied up. Just my luck. 

Near the door is another, more annoyed-looking, young woman, this one has long braided brown hair and is slightly taller than the other one. She too has a sword, only hers is sheathed. 

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” The first one asks. 

“Why do you need to know?” I respond as she narrows her eyes at me. 

“Answer the question. Now.”

“Fine… My name is Blythe. I’m on the run, tryna get to the next kingdom over.”

The two women exchange looks with one another. “What are you thinking, Captain?” The second woman asks. Captain? She’s in charge? The first only turns away to face me once more. 

“I’m Rowan. This is my crewmate, Mira, she's the one who knocked you out. The child you met earlier was Finley.” 

“Nice to know… but why are you telling me all this?”

“We require… some assistance,” she says, putting her sword away. “You see, we aren't permitted to enter the town we’re coming up on and we’re running low on supplies. If you go into town with one of us and help to gather supplies, we will take you to your destination.”

I pause. Should I trust them? If I say no they’ll probably kill me. Might as well get something out of this. 

“Ok… but I’ll need a list… and money”

She grins at me and signals for the other woman, Mira, to untie me. 

Standing now, I look at Rowan, she motions for me to follow her out of the room onto the ship's deck. 

Suddenly I become self-conscious about my torn dress, and how my face is likely covered in dirt. She leads me across the deck to another room, this one is slightly larger with a bed and a desk. On the bed lies a new-looking pale green dress and black cloak. 

“I noticed your dress was torn…” Rowan says, looking at me over her shoulder and gesturing to the clothes on the bed, her expression unreadable. 

“Thank you…” I respond as she leaves the room so I can get dressed. 

After she leaves I feel as if I can breath for the first time in weeks. I need a break. 

2 WEEKS LATER:

As I walk in, she looks up from her work, and I hear her breath catch. Which, of course, makes my heart beat a million times faster. She walks around the table and up to me. 

“You look… good,” she says, clearing her throat. I attempt, and fail, at suppressing the smile growing on my face. She smiles back at me, and grabs my hand, walking out the door. 

“We’re here.” She pulls me to look over in the direction of a large island, smiling back at me, as my heart rate increases once more, but this time for multiple reasons. 

***

“Well, that was exhausting,” we just walked through the whole market and were only able to obtain a bag of apples and a few curious looks. Despite that, Rowan smiles at me, amused, but her smile soon fades as she looks over my shoulder at something. I turn, curious, only to find a royal guard asking questions of a woman at one of the market stands.

Oh no. 

Before I can think I grab Rowan’s hand and our supplies and make my way back towards the boat. 

“What's wrong?” she asks. 

“I have to get out of here,” I say, looking at her urgently. 

She nods as she leads me toward the woods. 

“We can hide here for a bit, Mira and the others took the boat to a cave after we left, so we wouldn’t get found and they won’t be back for another hour.”

“Ok.” 

And that's when a hand clamps down on my shoulder. My eyes widen at the same time as Rowan’s as she looks over my shoulder at the royal guard who is smiling sinisterly above me. 

***

“Rowan!!” I gasp, sitting up, suddenly awake. I look around me to find I’m back in the dungeon. 

“How long have I been here?”

The guard posted outside my door looks at me and sighs. No answer. 

Bang.

What was that… I make eye contact with the guard as she runs off. 

Before I know what's happening Rowan’s standing in front of me, pulling me out of my cell. I'm so disoriented she has to practically carry me. 

“Wait… what's going on?” I ask, forcing her to stop. 

“We’re getting you out of here,” she replies, winking at me. 

I can’t take it anymore and I pull her face into my hands and kiss her, tears running down my face. I know it's already too late. When I pull away, she sees the sword stabbed through my back, and the last thing I see is her beautiful face, wide-eyed and crying.

word count: 1018

[xvi-the-tower]

In All My Dreams I Drown

In which @dreams-of-the-arcana's Tikos tries to get Jasmine to get some sleep. Part 1 of Deep Silent Complete

Sex mention, nightmares of drowning, 1100 words

Jasmine collapsed onto the bed, her breathing heavy. Sweat plastered strands of hair to her face and neck. Her weary, sore body sank into the plush bedding. Even if she hadn't already been running on the shadow of fumes, the enthusiasm of their love making would have completely exhausted her.

Tikos took a moment to admire his work, his own body glistening from exertion, as he caught his breath. Seeing how tired she was, he couldn't help but grin. As much as he'd enjoyed himself, he'd had an ulterior motive. Without further delay, he fetched a damp towel and a glass of water for each of them.

Jasmine sat up long enough to drain her glass before plopping back onto the mattress. Tikos set to cleaning her up. Her eyes began to flutter shut to the feeling of the towel on her skin. He'd used magic to warm the water, and it felt like heaven. The soft tones of his voice filled her ears as he murmured his praise of her, caressing her with words in his native tongue. After so long together, those words were no longer foreign to her, and she could appreciate them for more than just how beautiful they sounded in his voice.

When it seemed she was on the precipice of sleep, Tikos crossed over to the chest of drawers to fetch her nightclothes. Though it took all of what little energy she had left, Jasmine sat up with a groan, determined not to fall asleep.

"Hey now! You'd better be sitting up so I can put this on you, миленик." Tikos gently chastised her as he crossed back over, holding her softest nightgown. When Jasmine stood, he put a hand on her shoulder to urge her back onto the bed.

She sat back down, but mumbled in protest, "I have to put Jason to bed."

"You don't have to worry about him tonight. Penelope agreed to put him to bed." He tapped her arm, instructing her to lift both.

"Why would she do that? Did you ask?" As she spoke, she lifted her arms, allowing him to slip the nightgown over her head. Her speech was somewhat slurred from sleepiness.

"Aye, I did. So I can make sure you get some sleep."

Jasmine shook her head. "I'll sleep when we reach Macawi Port."

"That's still days away. You'll be hallucinating by then if you don't get yourself killed first."

She stood again, eyes narrowed, and voice raised. "The fuck do you mean, 'get myself killed?'"

Tikos stood his ground. "A ship's a dangerous place for someone who doesn't have their wits about them. How many crewmates have you seen injured or killed from falls or an enemy sword because they were drunk or sleep deprived?"

"They were new. I can do this shit in my sleep."

"Maybe, but not on two days without sleep."

"I'll prove it to you."

She tried to walk past him, but was stopped by his hand on her shoulder. It wasn't rough, but it was firm. "I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger. You're not leaving this room until you get some sleep."

Jasmine was taken aback. He had never used his captain voice on her outside of sex. Her look of surprise quickly shifted to one of frustrated defiance as she jerked her shoulder away from him. "You don't understand, Kats!" Her tone was low, quiet.

Tikos sighed in frustration as he rubbed a hand over his face. She'd had nightmares as long as they'd been together, as had he. They'd always found comfort in each other. But something was different this time. "You're right," he admitted. "I don't understand what about these nightmares is different than usual."

Running a hand through her hair, she began to pace over a space of a few feet. Exhaustion was settling into her bones, and with it fear of the nightmares that had plagued her the last few nights she had slept. "I...I keep drowning."

Tikos' tone softened. "миленик. Every sailor has nightmares about drowning."

She rounded on him. "Not gillies!" she shouted. "We're not supposed to dream of drowning, Zotikos! A drowning dream is a bad omen for my kind." Here was the root of it. Fear was evident in her face and the tremble of her voice. He reached out to place comforting hands on her upper arms. As he looked into her eyes, they began to glisten. In their ten years together, he had only seen her this frightened during her pregnancy. Normally she revelled in the dangerous nature of their lifestyle. Yet this nightmare had brought that danger into a terrifying new light. "It's more than a dream, Tikos. Something bad is going to happen. What if I lose you? Or Jason? What if this means--"

"We're not going anywhere," he interrupted gently. His gaze was soft, and he offered her a reassuring smile. "Nothing's going to happen to our family on my watch, darlin'. I promise you that."

She wanted to believe him. Part of her did. Part of her believed he was capable of anything and everything through sheer force of will. He could take any ship in the ocean he wanted, and have any treasure. He'd gotten her to trust again, love again, and delivered on every promise he'd ever made her. If he was telling her he could defy a bad omen and keep their family safe, who was she to doubt?

"What if you can't stop it?"

"Have I ever made you a promise I couldn't keep? Besides, now that I know, I can be on the lookout for any threat."

Tikos pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his cheek on the top of her head. His arms felt safe, and her panic gradually died down, giving way to her exhaustion. When he felt her weight shift such that he was basically holding her up, he slowly walked her back over to the bed and eased them both onto it, under the blankets. Already dozing, she tucked in against him with his arm around her.

After a moment of quiet, he asked, "Since when do you call me 'Zotikos?'"

"It's your name, isn't it?" she mumbled.

His soft chuckle was the last thing she heard before drifting off.

This dream began the same as the other. The first thing she was aware of was falling. Falling past the side of Charybdis' Descent before being met with the cold rush of the waves. She tried to take a breath, but couldn't. Panic set in as she sank further and further down, watching the ship grow more distant.

Then a great presence found her, engulfed her, and she drew a breath.